Like a lot of Sox fans, I figured trading Joe Crede to clear a spot for Josh Fields would be the sensible thing to do this spring. But now I've decided otherwise.
From everything I've read in recent days, opposing GMs are trying to pry Crede away for cheap. And you can't really blame them. After all, most other teams probably figure Kenny Williams is eager to unload Crede's salary, knowing the Sox are likely to lose the third baseman to free agency next offseason.
Given that the return on Crede in any trade isn't likely to be much, the best solution for the Sox is to just hold on to him. He's still one of the best defensive players in the league. If the goal is to win a championship in 2008 (and the Sox say it is), then Crede is a much more useful piece than any of the "B" prospects and organizational players that other teams are said to be offering.
By keeping Crede, the Sox risk losing him next winter for nothing other than compensatory draft picks. This much is true. But I'd rather take draft picks than another organization's trash. Certainly, the team's chances only are bettered by keeping BOTH Crede and Fields around. How can it hurt to have two good third basemen?
If the team falls out of contention by midseason, Crede can still be dealt to clear space for Fields. The Sox made a similar move last year at second base, moving out free-agent-to-be Tadahito Iguchi to make room for Danny Richar.
But in the meantime, the Sox are trying to win, and there's no reason to be hasty. If they keep Crede, expect plenty of columns from the Chicago media wailing about the possibility that Crede will be lost "for nothing."
I'm not worried about losing Crede "for nothing." If you have a player who you know can help win you a title, you keep him as long as you can. There is no need to worry about "the future," especially when all you can get in a trade is marginal prospects anyway.
This notion that you must trade a player, rather than lose him "for nothing," that's the kind of thinking that has led to only one World Series title being won in Chicago over the last 90 years.
Keep Joe Crede, at least for the first half of the season, and see what happens.
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